The boy and at least one companion were about a half-mile east of the intersection of Wild Horse Road and Hillcrest Avenue when they climbed over or somehow got through a six-foot-high chain link fence that runs the length of the 46-mile- long irrigation canal, Marshall said. A bike and pedestrian path runs next to the canal at that point.

There was little room between the fence and the steep, grass-and-dirt embankment of the canal that sloped down into water, which is eight to 10 feet deep, Marshall said.

After the 13-year-old boy ended up in the water, his companion told officials he jumped in to try to rescue him, then realized the peril and was able to clamber back up the steep embankment, Marshall said.

"He tried to rescue him, and he realized very quickly that wasn't a good idea," Marshall said. "He got out safely and found someone to call 911."

Authorities were alerted shortly after 2:15 p.m. Search and rescue crews using a boat and hook-tipped poles were able to locate the body at about 4:45 p.m. at the bottom of the canal, about a quarter-mile west of where the boy fell in, Marshall said.